Chapter 256 It's too dark, I'm afraid I'll fall.

The two figures fell rapidly.

Pei Yuan held Shen Chu tightly, twisting his body forcefully in mid-air.

Bang.

Pei Yuan slammed heavily to the ground.

Shen Chu was protected in his arms and was completely unharmed.

"How are you? Are you hurt anywhere?" Pei Yuan asked anxiously, reaching out to touch Shen Chu's shoulder and then moving down her back, eager to make sure she was alright.

The man's broad, warm hand brushed against my back, giving me a strange sense of peace.

Shen Chu shook her head, remembering that Pei Yuan couldn't see in the dark, and quickly said, "I'm fine, is Your Highness alright?"

Upon hearing her voice, Pei Yuan paused.

Everything fell silent in the darkness.

After a long while, Pei Yuan gently patted her back, as if whispering:

"It's alright, it's alright."

Shen Chu's eyes inexplicably became moist and hot. She sniffed, and her nostrils were filled with the refreshing pine scent emanating from Pei Yuan.

She shifted uncomfortably, trying to roll off Pei Yuan, but embarrassingly discovered...

It's impossible!

She flipped to the left and hit the wall, then flipped to the right and hit the wall again.

Pei Yuan, with a mixture of helplessness and tension, reached out and pressed her down.

"Don't move anymore."

Shen Chu paused, noticing that his breathing was somewhat unstable.

The two were so close that she could clearly feel Pei Yuan's strong chest beneath his thin clothes.

Her face inexplicably flushed, and she stammered an explanation.

"We must have fallen into a very narrow secret passage, probably only wide enough for one person."

I need to figure out a way to get up first, otherwise neither of us will be able to move.

She braced herself against the wall and groped her way to stand up.

The moment he moved, Pei Yuan let out a muffled groan.

"Chen Chu, where are you rubbing against?"

Shen Chu was stunned for a moment before she realized what was happening.

Her calf accidentally brushed against Pei Yuan's legs.

The mere thought of that spot, the realization of what the stimulation had involved, sent an overwhelming surge of heat through me.

Even my neck felt burning hot.

Shen Chu braced herself on both sides and quickly stood up, her voice trembling slightly with a hint of helplessness.

"I...I didn't see it, I didn't brush against it on purpose."

In the darkness, she couldn't see Pei Yuan's expression, but she heard a low laugh.

The laughter was low and soft, yet it seemed to be full of joy.

She looked bewildered. "What is Your Highness laughing at?"

Pei Yuan didn't answer her. He groped to sit up and took out a tinderbox from his body to light it.

The dark secret passage was instantly illuminated.

As expected, it was only wide enough for one person. Pei Yuan had broad shoulders, and he was almost touching the wall on both sides.

The secret passage was straight, about ten feet long, with a wall at each end.

Shen Chu couldn't help but sigh, "I never imagined there was a secret room underground in the General's Mansion."

Pei Yuan leaned against the wall and snorted coldly.

"Heh, luckily there's this secret room, otherwise you might have lost your life here today."

Shen Chu's expression hardened.

"Your Highness, this is a murder plot against me."

She recounted how she was accidentally splashed with wine by Li Xiuchun, and how she encountered the suspicious Li Ming when she came out to change her clothes, and how he followed her all the way.

"When I went inside, I found that the whole place was covered in kerosene."

Pei Yuan's expression darkened. "Oil?"

"Well, if it was an accidental fire, how could there be kerosene in the house? The other party's purpose is very clear: they want to burn me to death here."

In other words, they're going to find a way to get me into this room today, no matter what.

"Are you sure the person who brought you here is Li Ming?"

Shen Chu thought about it carefully and nodded.

"I can't be mistaken, that person is Li Ming. But I've only just started investigating the Li family, how did he get the news so quickly?"

Pei Yuan remained noncommittal, saying, "Let's figure out a way to get out first."

Chen Chu looked up and saw a dark stone ceiling that perfectly isolated him from all sounds from above.

In other words, unless someone discovers the entrance to the secret passage from above, they simply cannot get out from there.

"This looks like a secret passage for temporary hiding, which is usually opened from above."

However, the secret passage appears to be about two zhang (approximately 6.6 meters) deep. Logically, a temporary hiding place wouldn't be that deep, making it difficult to enter or exit.

She stood up and walked towards one end of the secret passage.

"I think there must be another exit here. Your Highness, go and take a look at the other end."

Shen Chu carefully examined one end of the secret passage, tapping on every single blue brick, but found nothing.

Looking at Pei Yuan on the other side, there was still nothing to be found.

She couldn't help but frown.

"Did I guess wrong? Or is it that the exits aren't at either end?"

Her gaze fell on the walls on both sides of the passageway.

The wall was also made of blue bricks. She held up a tinderbox and approached to examine it carefully. Suddenly, her eyes lit up.

She noticed that there seemed to be a faint Tai Chi symbol drawn on the wall.

Shen Chu excitedly told Pei Yuan, "It looks like there's a Tai Chi Bagua diagram drawn on the wall. It's a formation diagram with a life gate and a death gate."

Pei Yuan raised an eyebrow, "The Gate of Life and the Gate of Death?"

"Yes, the Gate of Life corresponds to the exit. I don't know what's hidden in the Gate of Death, but it's usually poison gas, poison arrows, or something like that."

She handed the tinderbox to Pei Yuan, reciting the incantation of the Tai Chi Bagua diagram while measuring the dimensions with her fingers.

We finally found the location of the life gate.

She pushed the blue bricks where the life gate was located with her hand.

The blue bricks were movable; when she pushed them inward, the wall immediately made a cracking sound.

A whole row of blue bricks on the wall suddenly started moving in unison.

The shape of a door was revealed, and there was a faint light behind it.

Shen Chu was overjoyed.

"Your Highness, we've found the exit."

She took the tinder from him.

"Your Highness, please come with me."

When I turned around, my hand was tightly gripped.

Chen Chu was taken aback and turned to look.

Pei Yuan remained calm. "It's too dark. I'm afraid I'll fall."

Shen Chu lowered her eyes. The man's palm was warm and dry, carrying a forceful strength that wouldn't allow her to break free.

She pursed her lips, but ultimately didn't pull her hand away.

"Your Highness, stay close to me."

In the darkness, Pei Yuan's lips curled into a wide smile.

As soon as you turn the corner past the door that appears on the blue brick wall, the wall instantly returns to its original state.

It was as if it were just an ordinary wall.

Pei Yuan couldn't help but marvel, "Is this the legendary art of Qimen Dunjia? I didn't expect A-Chu to know these things too."

Shen Chu smiled.

"I've only read a few miscellaneous books occasionally."

The one who was truly proficient in the art of Qimen Dunjia was her third senior brother.

"Let's go, let's see what's ahead."

The two walked through a dark alley and turned into another secret passage.

The difference was that this secret passage was wide and long, and there were torches burning at intervals.

It is clear that people still frequently travel underground.

The secret passage was very long, and it took the two of them more than an hour to see a faint light coming through from ahead.

Walking over and pushing open the door to the secret passage, Chen Chu was stunned by what she saw outside.

"Oh my god, where am I...?"

Before he could finish speaking, a thud was heard beside him.

She turned her head and saw Pei Yuan lying straight down with his eyes closed.